


Not Worth It

by AngelCuttingOnions



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Flash Thompson Redemption, Gen, I don’t really know how to tag this, Identity Reveal, Panic Attacks, School Shootings, Sort Of, Spider-Man Identity Reveal, Trauma, check notes for more information/triggers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-10
Updated: 2019-06-10
Packaged: 2020-04-24 04:17:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19165657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelCuttingOnions/pseuds/AngelCuttingOnions
Summary: There were some kids huddled together, others were crying, a few trying to comfort others, and some were just sitting there, blank expressions, rocking back and forth.Peter had to do something. He didn’t have his suit but that didn’t matter.





	Not Worth It

**Author's Note:**

> If you read the tags you’ll see that this has to do with school shootings. It portrays an active shooter situation, along with panic attacks, and Peter being a dumb butt who puts himself directly into the line of fire. (We love you for it though baby, thank you.) If this could trigger you, please don’t read it. I was hesitant to write this because I didn’t want it to seem as though I’m trying to glorify traumatic situations, but the idea has been in my head for a few days now so I’m posting it. 
> 
> If you think this needs more tags or trigger warnings, please let me know.

Peter tensed. 

_BANG._ Everyone’s eyes got wide. 

_Nonononono_

_BANG_. MJ shot up from her seat and hit the lights. 

This couldn’t- 

_BANG._ Someone screamed. 

This couldn’t be happening. 

_BANG._ Ned was shaking. 

Why was this happening? 

He’s Peter Parker. He couldn’t just-

He wasn’t- 

He didn’t have the suit. He- 

Oh god he was terrified. The shots got closer, like a warning of what was about to happen. Their classroom was the second closest to the entrance. They were going to be one of the first to- Peter took a shaky breath. He couldn’t do anything, could he? There was a faint humming sound in his head. 

He heard someone whimper. His senses were screaming at him, the hairs on his neck and arms were standing on end, and his mind was repeating _dangerdangerdanger_ over and over again. He heard another shot and another scream. Their teacher ~~is~~ _was_ in the hallway. 

He couldn’t sit there. He couldn’t do nothing. What could he do? He didn’t have- he couldn’t breathe. He was trembling. Everything was getting fuzzy, he couldn’t- 

Suddenly MJ was in front of him, shaking him. “Get it together Parker.” She whispered frantically. Even she looked terrified. Peter took a deep breath. He could panic later. 

_“If you’re nothing without the suit, you shouldn’t have it.”_

He heard footsteps coming closer. “Everyone _shut up_. I know you want to cry, so do I. Stay quiet. MJ call the police. Ned, tell- tell May I love her.” More shots rang out. Someone else was in the hallway. “Lock the door behind me. Don’t come out until I say.”

One more shaky breath. 

“Peter if you do, everyone will-“

“My secret’s not worth their lives Ned.”

MJ was speaking quietly to the police, demanding to know when they were going to be there. Ned was wide eyed. Most of the kids were texting their parents, just two or three words. He heard the door to the other classroom bang open. He had to go now. He threw open the door and he _ran._

The shooter was in the classroom, screaming at one of the teachers. Over and over he said the same thing. “This is your fault!” 

There were some kids huddled together, others were crying, a few trying to comfort others, and some were just sitting there, blank expressions, rocking back and forth. Flash was in the class. He was shielding one of the younger students, a terrified boy who had skipped two grades. “Hey asshole!” The shooter barely flinched. Peter chucked his phone at the back of his head, making him turn around and grab a nearby student to put his gun to. 

“Don’t fuckin’ play hero!” He had to act right then because no one was coming until the police got there. He looked the girl in the eyes, hoping whatever she saw was comforting. Then he launched himself at the man, all the training Natasha had ever put him through whirring through his head all at once. 

He shoved the student to the side, the gun going off as he moved. He quickly looked towards her, she was fine. He pulled the gun from the man’s hands, bending the end of it and throwing it as far as he could. The man pulled a handgun from his waistband, and Peter reacted. He wasn’t sure if it was the adrenaline, his panic, or what, but he snapped the shooters wrist. The man shouted and struggled, but Peter restrained him quickly. He pulled the man’s arms behind him, and held him there. 

The man fought as much as he could, but nothing got him free. The humming in Peter’s ears was getting louder. 

“MJ, Ned! Get my bag from my locker!” It was less than a minute before MJ came running into the room with Peter’s backpack. She said something about Ned calling Stark. He didn’t have time to grab the backpack before, but he had it now. He pulled one of the web shooters he had with him from the inner pocket, struggled putting it on one with one hand, and webbed the man to the floor. And for good measure, he threw the second gun at the wall and webbed it there. 

The humming kept getting louder and louder, he thought someone was speaking to him but he wasn’t sure. There was blood on his shirt. He was bleeding. With shaky hands he felt around to see if there was an exit wound. Relief filled him when he found one. He ripped off part of his shirt and tore it into strips, putting pressure to stop the bleeding, and using his webbing to keep the fabric there. 

The humming was still there, it felt like it was echoing, increasing more and more. He couldn’t breathe for the second time that day. Everyone was safe, they were fine, but he couldn’t-

He couldn’t catch his breath. He heard muffled voices, someone was trying to calm him down. He flinched when a student touched his arm. MJ screamed at everyone to back the fuck up. Only three people were near him, he wasn’t sure who besides MJ. He vaguely remembered someone mentioning a penis. Wait. He was Penis. That was Flash. Flash was speaking to him. 

Ned was rambling about having called Mr. Stark and he was on his way with May and they’d be there soon. MJ was calming Ned down, and letting Peter know all the students were safe and that he was a damn idiot. Flash was talking quietly, saying things like everyone was safe, it was all over now, he did so well, he’d still be calling him Penis though, and “Back with us Parker?” 

Peter blinked. Ned, MJ, and Flash were all sitting around him. Not close enough to be touching, but close enough so he could hear them without them having to speak loudly. He nodded slowly. Kids were being guided out of the room by teachers, everyone looking shaken up. One of the adults was standing nearby the group of four on the ground, speaking on the phone with someone, eyes on the shooter at all times. Four officers ran into the room and the teacher hung up. 

They stayed on the floor for awhile, MJ and Ned clinging onto Peter for dear life, and Flash eventually being dragged into the pile by MJ who said “Get over it you fucking loser, we’ve all been traumatized you get a damn hug.”

When Peter finally got up from the floor of the classroom, taking the hand Ned offered him to pull him up, he slowly walked outside. Most students were seated on the grass, a line of terrified parents being held off. Mr. Stark was at the front of the line yelling angrily. “My kid is in there! If you don’t let me find him so help me I will blow the damn doors-“ his sentence was cut off when May interrupted with a yell of Peter’s name. 

The students from the first two rooms looked up at the shout, and when they laid eyes on him, someone started clapping. Then more did. Pretty soon everyone who’d seen what had happened was cheering for the teen. Peter sniffed. Then the sniff turned into shaky breathing. Pretty soon the kid was sobbing. 

Mr. Stark had shoved his way passed the protesting police officers, May running right behind him towards Peter. They stopped only a couple feet from him, and Peter looked back and forth between them both. “I froze. Someone died because I froze.”

“No Peter, you did so good honey. They’re all safe because of you.” May pulled him into a hug and he winced. 

“Everyone knows who I am and I broke the shooters wrist and Flash basically cuddled my friend group and also I got shot and I’m gonna pass out from blood loss pretty soon I think?” 

“Why the hell didn’t you lead with that kid?!”

~

When he woke up, the world knew that some scrawny high school student took down a shooter. It didn’t take long for a few students to tell their friends everything that happened, and it spread like wildfire. 

If he had to do it all over again, he would have made the same call. 

What he said to Ned still stood. 

His secret wasn’t worth their lives.


End file.
